Posted by Tribune staff at 6:50 p.m.
Gov. Pat Quinn plans to sign legislation Wednesday to push Illinois’ primary election back to March.
The 2 p.m. signing in the governor’s Capitol office ends the state’s experiment with a February primary after
just two elections.
Lawmakers moved up the 2008 presidential
primary to February to try to help then-Sen. Barack Obama get an early
win in a big state. That worked. But last month, the early primary date
was partly blamed for the debacle that left Democrats with Scott Lee
Cohen as the party’s lieutenant governor nominee before he dropped out
under pressure. Democrats are still searching for a Cohen replacement.
Supporters
contend the change, back to the third Tuesday in March, would help
boost voter turnout, which hit a modern record low Feb. 2.
You can read about the House approving the legislation by clicking here.